Lusail (SID) – Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi (35) played his 26th World Cup game in the final against France, becoming the sole record player. The six-time world footballer left the previous record holder Lothar Matthäus (25) behind in his last World Cup game in the Lusail Stadium on Sunday. Messi needed five finals for his record.
“I don’t begrudge him,” Matthäus had told the Bild newspaper before Messi drew level with him in the semifinals against Croatia (3-0). The Argentine is “a great athlete with an extraordinary career. The most complete footballer of our time.”
In addition, France’s Hugo Lloris set a World Cup record for goalkeepers. The 35-year-old Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper played his 20th World Cup game in the final, beating the previous record holder Manuel Neuer (19). In the semifinals against Morocco (2-0), Lloris drew level with the German international goalkeeper.
